


The Essence of Things

by Kita_the_Spaz



Series: Sockathan Week 2 [3]
Category: Welcome to Hell - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Jonathan's mom is full of sass, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 19:24:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5387450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kita_the_Spaz/pseuds/Kita_the_Spaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Gifts are given, some things are revealed, while others remain a mystery. Oh, and Jonathan’s mom is full of sass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Essence of Things

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I think this one will be the last one in this arc. I may reuse the device at a later date, but I feel the story of Christmas day is complete where it stands.

Jonathan settled on the couch with a sigh, watching his mom root around under the Christmas tree like a deranged squirrel, shoving packages this way and that. How she had that much energy still was beyond him. He’d chased her gleefully laughing form around the living room for more than fifteen minutes, trying to wrest the camera from her. By the time he’d actually succeeded he was panting and out-of-breath while he fought with the battery cover to pull the SD card. The tiny slot was empty and he’d goggled at her.

Twisting the camera out of his grip, she’d flashed a gamine grin. “You’re never going to find the card, boyo!” she taunted. “I’ve got it and you’ll never figure out where I’ve hidden it.”

Still a bright red and with one hand covering his lips, Sock had nevertheless answered her in a wry tone. “It’s in your bra, isn’t it?”

“Wha— no, of course it’s not in my bra.” Jonathan’s mother had stumbled to a undignified halt, with her hair flying wild around her face, and had fixed Sock with her best attempt at a stern glare. Jonathan didn’t buy it for a minute; not with the guilty look in her deep blue eyes.

“Mom!” Jonathan had pled in sheer frustration. “You are not keeping blackmail photos of us!”

Her lips turned down into a frown. “Now, would I do something like that?”

“In a heartbeat,” Jonathan retorted.

Sticking out her tongue at him, she’d turned away, slinging the camera strap around her neck. “I’m still not giving it up. It’s an adorable photo!”

Sock had sighed heavily, sounding so much like one of Jonathan’s own put-upon exhalations that Jonathan had turned to stare at him. 

“Sock?”

“While this is all sorts of entertaining, could we get on with it?” Sock snarked, deadpan. A look of horror swept across his face and he’d clapped both hands to his mouth, a panicky gaze in his green eyes. That wide-eyed stare found Jonathan’s startled mother. “I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!” Sock pled breathlessly. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

Jonathan didn’t like the sudden look of realization that filled his mom’s gaze. She didn’t move other than to offer an outstretched hand. “I’m not mad, honey,” she said softly, like she was talking to a frightened animal. “Really. C’mon, let’s go into the living room and open presents.”

Hiding behind Jonathan, Sock blinked at her before reluctantly stepping forward. “I— I didn’t bring any presents.”

She’d smiled. “No worries, hun. There’s always enough presents. I’m just glad you’re here.”

That was how Jonathan found himself on the couch with a nervous and jittery demon perched warily beside him and his mother digging around under the tree like a madwoman.

While she was distracted, Jonathan turned his attention to Sock. “What the hell was that all about?” he asked in a low voice, pitching it so as not to be heard over the rustle and crinkle of wrapping paper.

Sock shrugged helplessly. “I dunno. I don’t know your mom well enough to tell.”

Gritting his teeth, Jonathan turned his head to stare into Sock’s eyes. “That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it!”

Sock hunched his shoulders. “I know. I just don’t know what’s going on.”

RIght about then, his mother emerged from under the tree with a wide grin and gifts stacked in her arms. “Success!” she cheered. “I have wrenched the gifts from the clutches of the evil tree! All hail my might!”

Jonathan snorted. Beside him, at nearly the same time, Sock barked in surprised laughter.

“Mo-oo-om!”

She ignored his protest. “Now, Sock, hun, these are for you.” She piled a large gift box and two gift bags in Sock’s lap. She tapped a finger over his lips when he opened his mouth, either to protest or thank her, Jonathan couldn’t tell. “Ah-ah,” she scolded laughingly. “I know you said you didn’t bring anything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t give you anything. Hopefully next year, I’ll know you better and be able to get you something that suits your tastes.”

Sock looked a little blindsided and opened and closed his mouth several times in succession. “I— I...”

Jonathan didn’t resist the urge to reach over and pat Sock on the shoulder. “Don’t try to fight it, dude. You won’t win.”

His mother whapped him with a gift and dumped the rest of her armload in his lap. “Stop trying to scare your friend off, love.”

Jonathan groaned and rolled his eyes. 

That earned him another smack, this time with her over-long sweater sleeve. “C’mon, open them up and then I’ll make some hot chocolate. Then there’s sweets to be eaten!”

“Don’t get between mom and her sweets,” Jonathan advised, sotto voce. “She can and will gnaw through iron bars for a kit-kat.”

“Jon, sweetie...” She cooed in a warning tone that had Jonathan laughing and protecting his head with his arms when she scooped up a pillow.

Sock finally relaxed enough to snicker.

At the sound, his mother lowered the pillow and looked expectantly at Sock. “C’mon, open your gifts.”

Jonathan knew at least one of them was a hooded sweatshirt, something his mother always had to be passed out at need on Christmas. The other’s were probably go-to-at-need gifts like candy or cookies. But his mom was just like that, Always with something to make another feel welcome.

Sock put the dark red sweatshirt on immediately. It was large on him, but he assured her he didn’t mind and snuggled down into it happily. He looked like a little kid in their parent’s clothes. Jonathan thought to himself that he looked weirdly adorable that way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the gift-giving, Jonathan’s mother made cups of hot chocolate and piled some cookies on a plate before shooing them off to Jonathan’s room while she started work on Christmas dinner. Jonathan carried both mugs while Sock held the plate like he was terrified he was going to drop it and break it.

Sock kicked the door shut behind them while Jonathan set the mugs down on his bedside table. He flopped on the bed while Sock slid the plate onto the table. Instead of floating, Sock sat in Jonathan’s desk chair and tucked his knees up, wrapping his thin arms in the over-large hoodie around his legs.

Jonathan turned his head on the pillow to regard Sock. Sock was staring at the wall, looking for all the world as it he was contemplating the mysteries of Jonathan’s Valhalla Soundbox poster. “Sock?”

“Hmm?” Sock blinked and looked down at Jonathan. 

“You okay? You’re acting weird... weirder than normal, I mean.”

Sock shrugged, “I dunno, I feel kinda disconnected, like everything’s happening around me but I can’t bring myself to be involved. It’s strange.”

“That’s because your human counterpart over there is sharing his essence with you, kid. Sharing his apathy is one of the side effects.”

Jonathan sat bolt upright at the strange echo of a voice. “What the hell?”

Sock whirled, nearly falling out of the chair. He bolted to his feet and stared fixedly at one corner of the room, near the ceiling.

Squinting, Jonathan could make out the barest outlines of a tall, thin human figure, transparent as glass, in the corner there.

“Boss...” Sock muttered. “What’s going on?”

The voice, which sounded like a badly tuned radio, chuckled. “Well, well, looks like the effect went both ways. Unexpected. Just let me...” There was a soundless pop and suddenly there was a man floating leisurely in the corner, in the place of that barely there shadow. He had bright ginger hair and a lean face with a devilish smile, Bright golden eyes were fixed on Jonathan. “Hello, Mr. Combs.” Free of distortion, his voice was smooth and mellow with an odd accent Jonathan couldn’t quite place. He kinda sounded like he was from Jersey, but that couldn’t be right.

“Who are you?” Jonathan was too inured to Sock’s antics to be overly surprised by yet another person popping up like that.

“Mephistopheles, at your service.” The fox-like grin spread a little wider. “Also known as your friend there’s employer.”

Sock was gawping, eyes wide and mouth hanging open just a little. “What’s going on?” he asked helplessly.

“I was wondering the same thing myself.” Mephistopheles dropped down and floated a complete circuit around Sock, regarding him with a tilted head and a beetled brow. “One of the other’s mentioned you hadn’t returned, and as this is such an odd night, I decided to see for myself what was up.” He leaned close, one hand rubbing his neatly-trimmed beard. “It wasn’t until I got up here that I noticed the change in your energies.”

Jonathan leaned back on his hands. “So have you figured it out?”

“Not really, no. All I can say for certain is that you’re sharing your essence with Sock, allowing him more— tangibility, if you will. There seem to be any number of odd effects though, like his sharing part of your sparkling personality, or you being able to perceive me, before I made an effort to be visible.”

Sock hovered helplessly in place, watching Mephistopheles warily. He hunched his shoulders under the sweatshirt. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” Sock said. 

Mephistopheles actually affectionately looped an arm around Sock’s shoulders. Jonathan was surprised, and from his expression, so was Sock. “I didn’t say you did, kid. Besides, this requires a bit more power than a minor demon like yourself possesses. I’d say She was screwing with me, but this really isn’t her style.” 

Mephistopheles studied sock for a moment longer. “It looks temporary enough. Probably will last a day, tops, before you’re back to normal.”

“You’re not m-mad?” Sock asked hesitantly.

Mephistopheles’ smile was almost real. “At the universe, most definitely. But not at you. It’s not your fault. I’ll see you when it wears off, eh? Until then, enjoy.” He rumpled Sock’s hat and then vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

Sock blinked and after glancing around to make certain he was gone, flung himself at Jonathan. He clung to him like a burr, arms wrapped tight around Jonathan’s neck. Jonathan could feel him shaking. “Sock?”

“I-I was afraid he’d be mad. It was my wish that did this. I wanted just one more Christmas, like I used to have when I was still alive.” Sock whispered into Jonathan’s neck.

Jonathan relaxed his shoulders and tentatively patted Sock on the back. “You can relax now. He’s obviously not mad.”

Sock sighed, but didn’t remove himself from Jonathan. “Yeah, I guess.”

Jonathan reached around him and snagged one of the cups of hot chocolate. “Here. Drink your cocoa. Who knows when you’ll have another chance?”

If Sock’s laughter sounded a little bit teary, Jonathan ignored it, pressing the cup into Sock’s hand and reaching for the plate of cookies, dragging them close enough to reach easily.

Sock remained hunched in his lap and Jonathan didn’t have the heart to push him off. He merely reached for his own cup.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After dinner, Sock drowsed on the couch while Jonathan helped his mom clean up a little. “Uh, thanks for not minding Sock being here.”

Stuffing a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes into the fridge, she grinned at him. “I’m actually glad you had a friend over. It’s been a really long time since you invited anyone over at all.” She reached over and tugged lightly on his ear. “I wouldn’t mind if you invited him back again sometime.”

Jonathan laughed softly. “Maybe I will, mom.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, after he was sure Sock had fallen asleep. Jonathan padded to the living room, The twinkling lights of the tree guided him unerringly and he gently pulled the wishing star from its place. Carrying it back to his room, he wrapped it carefully in an old t-shirt and stowed it in an empty shoebox that went on the very top of his closet. He wasn’t sure he believed that the star had anything to do with what had happened, but it never hurt to be careful. Just in case...

**Author's Note:**

> (You don’t have to read these if you don’t want to)
> 
> The sweatshirt thing is something my mom did. She’d buy them on clearance the year before and pack them up to use as emergency gifts whenever we were suddenly going to have unexpected guests on Christmas. Cheap boxes of chocolates were another standby. She’d buy several when they went on sale and would have them for back-up gifting. Also to anyone who was wondering about the bit with Sock snarking at Jonathan’s mom and suddenly turning remorseful? Well, the snark was his link to Jonathan showing through. I imagine he’s normally quite a polite young man, and realizing what he’d just done horrified him. Jonathan’s mom jumped to a conclusion that anyone who has worked with children from an abusive home life would have. I’ve seen that very reaction before; the saying something sassy and then regretting it, expecting a blow or angry reaction.


End file.
